Clean Up Aisle 17
by FruitySmell
Summary: Because in reality, Hinata was not the only Hyuuga with stalker-like tendencies.
1. Chapter 1

Done on a night when my body refused to sleep... Ah brain, Y U NO WORK LIKE THIS WHEN I STUDY? –sigh- Such is one of the mysteries of life...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of these characters. If I did, NejiTen would be so canon.

(^.^)(^.^)

**Clean Up, Aisle 17**

Many people believed that Hyuuga Neji was a blessed individual. Born from a prestigious family in the land of fire, Neji was gifted with the looks and the wealth. Although he had lost his parents at the age of six due to a horrible car crash, he was immediately adopted by his uncle Hyuuga Hiashi, who raised young Neji like his own son, grooming him to become the heir of their business. Not only that, Neji also had two adorable young cousins who looked up to him and treated him like their older brother.

Hyuuga Hinata, the eldest of Hiashi's daughters, had no problems regarding the arrangement of having Neji inherit the family business and even offered to help her "Neji-niisan" in any way that she can. Hyuuga Hanabi, the younger sister, also believed that "Neji-niisan" was a better option than her and Hinata combined and also offered to help her older brother if he ever did need assistance. Neji, on the other hand, was grateful for the trust that was given to him by his uncle and cousins, and he promised to himself that he would never let them down.

At Konoha Private High, the teachers regarded him as a genius and a born leader. Not only did Neji excel in academics, he also had talents in every sport that he played. Currently, he is the captain of the school's basketball team, the Konoha Spitfire (it should also be mentioned that he has led the team to consequent victories, garnering the title of champions for 3 straight years).

To his male classmates, he was an "ok" guy. Because with all the wealth he had or the praises that he was receiving, Neji remained a humble person, never flaunting his money or his abilities. The only flaw about Neji, according to the male population, was that he was such a quiet person. In fact, he opted to always remain in a quiet environment, making him look like he was unapproachable. That, and he always blamed fate for every time he committed a mistake or two (his closest friends –also members of the basketball team- always teased him about it and thus gave him the nickname, "Lord of Fate.")

However, to the female population, Neji was a god who descended upon the Earth as a gift to women and therefore he was flawless. From his dashing good looks to his well-toned body (with an added bonus of him being a gentleman), Hyuuga Neji was every woman's fantasy. The fact that Neji was single only fuelled these girls' dreams of becoming his "one and only" someday. Every day Neji would receive countless gifts from different women, all of which were ignored by the young Hyuuga. His indifference towards the mountain of gifts did not deter any of his fangirls, and they continued showering him with gifts and undying proclamations of love. The girls also competed against each other, most of which always ended up in catfights or a trip to the principal's office or the school clinic (sometimes even both if the fight turned uglier than expected). But as said before, Neji was a god-given gift for women, and for that, every effort was worth it if they could get Neji's undivided attention.

(^.^)(^.^)

It was a tradition for the Konoha Spitfire basketball team to have practice games during summer vacation. According to the captain, this was the most effective way for each member of the team to polish their skills and at the same time, they don't even have to worry about school work. The practice games usually end at six and after that, all members were free to do whatever they want. It was also at this precise moment that Uzumaki Naruto, the loudmouth blonde and point guard of the team, invited their team captain for dinner at his favourite ramen stand called "Ichiraku Ramen."

"It will be fun," Naruto grinned as he tried convincing Neji to join him and the others, "plus, Sasuke-teme's treating us today." At the mention of his name, the dark-haired Uchiha Sasuke scowled and muttered a soft "Dobe." Naruto heard this and glared at Sasuke who ignored him completely.

"Thanks, but I'll have to decline," Neji answered as he finished packing his things inside his bag, "I still have a lot of things I must do." And with that said, the Hyuuga simply nodded his goodbye to his teammates before walking away.

"That guy sure works hard," Naruto commented and let out a soft whistle as soon as Neji had left the room.

"Troublesome. Of course he does," replied Nara Shikamaru as he finished tying his shoelaces, "He has an image to keep after all." Beside him, his best friend Akimichi Chouji nodded in affirmation while eating a pack of potato chips.

"Not like you would know what an image is, dobe," Sasuke added, smirking slightly.

"What did you say teme?" Naruto screamed as he sprang to his feet, pointing a finger at Sasuke, "You lookin' for a fight?" Thus ensued another verbal argument between the two rivals/ best friends, their conversation about Neji long forgotten.

(^.^)(^.^)

Though it was true that Neji was indeed a busy man, it did not necessarily mean he had no room for fun. It was just that he chose to spend his time being more productive. However, he did have one "activity" he managed to cram in his work-related schedule which he added two weeks and three days ago.

At that time, Neji was going to a nearby store to buy himself an energy drink when his phone rang. Seeing his uncle's name flash in his phone, Neji immediately answered, expecting to hear important news. He was not prepared for what his uncle had to say.

"Neji," his uncle said, sounding very serious.

"Yes Uncle?"

"I've heard from Hanabi that you are going to a store to buy drinks... is this correct?"

"Yes Uncle."

"Good. While you are at it, buy some sanitary napkins for your cousin as well. She did not expect her period was today and had forgotten to restock her necessities. Thank you nephew."

The phone call ended immediately before Neji could say no to the request. As such, Neji stood frozen at Aisle 17 where the sanitary napkins were placed together with tissues and baby diapers. And being a descendant of Adam, he had no clue what to get since there were a lot of products to choose from... and he had no idea what the difference was between "with wings" or regular, and between "cottony soft" and "panty liners."

Neji visibly twitched and turned to leave, but there was also a side of him that chided him, telling him that his sweet cousin needed those things. His internal struggle was, in the words of the wise Shikamaru, troublesome. So distraught was he that perhaps he had been standing way too long and was garnering attention from other shoppers because one of the store's employees came to his side to help.

"Do you need anything sir?" came a feminine voice beside Neji, snapping him back to reality. Neji turned towards the voice and found himself face to face with a cute girl. Her brown hair was tied in twin buns and she was wearing the standard uniform of the store. Her nametag which was located at her left breast read "Tenten", as Neji noticed.

"I need... to buy one of those things," Neji answered hoping to fight the blush that was slowly showing in his pale cheeks. Inwardly, he cursed his being too pale, conveniently forgetting that he was a Hyuuga and Hyuugas always have pale skins.

"For your girlfriend?" the employee asked, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"No, cousin," was his terse reply.

"Does she have any preference?" asked the employee again, this time turning her attention towards the sanitary pad-filled shelf. Neji, in reply, raised a brow to prove he had no idea regarding his cousin's choice of pads which earned a soft giggle from the brunette.

"You might as well get the regular, since it's the safest choice," commented Tenten as she reached out for the pack, "anything else you need?"

"Nothing else," replied Neji bluntly.

"Well okay, I'll just put this in the counter for you so you wouldn't feel embarrassed," Tenten said as she made her way to the counter with Neji following her silently.

"Thank you for your assistance," Neji said, letting out a soft sigh as he began massaging his temples. He was later handed his purchased item and fortunately, Tenten had asked the cashier to use a paper bag and not plastic so that the content would not be visible.

"No problem," exclaimed the cute girl, grinning a bit, "It's always my pleasure to help." She gave Neji one last smile and a wink before returning to her work.

"_She's cute_," Neji thought as he gazed at the girl before allowing his feet to mechanically get him back home. He was only a block away towards the Hyuuga mansion when he realized with a jolt that he had forgotten to buy his energy drink. He scowled and released another sigh. He blamed fate for his forgetfulness.

"_Although it would be a good reason to see that girl again,"_ his mind added. Neji quickly erased the thought before traces of it would be seen in his face.

(^.^)(^.^)

Neji checked his watch for the third time as he entered the store. The time on his watch was 6:30 and he hurried his steps towards Aisle 17. He stopped at Aisle 16 where the shelves were filled with different milk brands and started scanning the area for something...

"THERE!"

He mentally screamed as his eyes rested upon a cute brunette who was mopping the floor, her brown hair tied in twin buns just as before. She was too absorbed with her work that she failed to notice a pair of lavender eyes examining her secretly. Meanwhile, an internal debate had started within Neji... to introduce self or not? He was about to walk towards the girl when his feet stopped and Neji felt himself turn around.

A soft sigh, and then "_Maybe next time..."_

(^.^)(^.^)

**Author's note**

I decided to make Neji a bit mellow in this story, maybe because I've read too much fic wherein Neji's an asshole –pardon my language-. And yes, Neji and Tenten aren't classmates or even schoolmates. And yes (again), Neji's a stalker... Pretty much like Hinata, in this case. ^.^

Please read and review. I appreciate helpful tips and grammar corrections. And if you have some ideas, please share them. It will definitely help me. So big thanks, and I hope you enjoyed my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own the characters. I'll let you guys know when I'll be able to.

Ah, and before I forget...

**Point guard****- Naruto**: usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time

**Shooting guard****- Neji****:** creates a high volume of shots on offense; guards the opponent's best perimeter player on defense

**Small forward****- Sasuke****:** often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively

**Power forward****- Lee****:** plays offensively often with their back to the basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense)

**Center****- Chouji****: **uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on defense), or to rebound.

Since I am not basketball savvy, I had to check Wikipedia for this information. Shikamaru (because he is too lazy), Kiba (he made a bet with Naruto regarding who gets to play... he lost, of course), and Shino (he prefers observing his enemies first before going into battle) are the substitutes.

(^.^)(^.^)

"So you like her huh?"

It came as a surprise for Neji that the first to uncover his rather stealthy observations (see stalking) regarding one certain charming female employee was Uzumaki Naruto. That Naruto who had gotten into trouble twice in one day for starting a food fight during Chemistry period and then insulting their principal by calling her an old hag. The same Naruto who, despite the many obvious attempts by his cousin Hinata to gain his attention, remained oblivious to the young girl's feelings. _Fate must not favour me today, _was Neji's first thought as Naruto gave him that annoying grin of his.

"What are you talking about, Uzumaki?" Neji asked calmly, hoping that if he feigned ignorance, Naruto might think he was wrong and just drop the subject.

"The girl with the buns. You like her," Naruto replied as he shrugged and grinned some more, "It's kinda obvious." Then he crossed his arms and nodded to himself.

Yes indeed, fate had decided that today was "Make fun of Hyuuga Neji Day" and gave Naruto enough common sense to put one and one together. Fate had also made Naruto extra annoying, therefore, said blonde ex-idiot was nudging Neji with his elbow and was openly laughing at him.

Or maybe fate had stripped Neji of his own common sense and gave it to Naruto instead? For what other explanation was there for Neji to spend his Saturday afternoon stalking (ahem, _observing_) Tenten when he knew that the probability that one of his peers could meet him by chance was high? Surely, he had not thought of the consequences of his rather bold and uncalculated move at that time but the urge to see Tenten was extremely high. However, now he was paying the price.

"Eh, don'cha worry about it captain," Naruto said, his grin never leaving his face, "I won't tell anybody about it."

"There's nothing to tell Uzumaki," replied Neji hotly, in an attempt to save what was left of his dignity. Naruto, on the other hand, just shrugged and left him while giggling like a schoolgirl.

(^.^)(^.^)

When Neji first found out that Hinata was crushing on a boy in her class, his overprotective-cousin mode kicked in and he was determined to know who this man was and if said man was worthy for Hinata's affections. After days of extensive research (in which he had to ask Hinata's two loud best friends, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino), Neji found out about Uzumaki Naruto and he was not happy. The boy was too hyperactive, too noisy, too troublesome, and too idiotic to be a perfect match for his cousin that he outrightly voiced his refusal for Hinata to get close to Naruto.

Then one day, Hinata was bullied by a couple of upper classmen while Neji was having a basketball practice. The moment Neji learned of the news from one breathless Lee, he wasted no time in getting to his cousin, ready to beat up those idiotic men with his fists. He was shocked with what he saw the moment he arrived; his cousin was safe and was nursing one bruised Naruto who was smiling and telling one flustered Hinata that he was fine. Surrounding the two were the bloodied and unconscious bodies of the bullies. At that day and time, Neji's dislike towards Naruto had incredibly lessened. Two days after that incident, Naruto came by the school gym and signed up for basketball. He had, since then, gained Neji's trust little by little, until such time that Neji had silently approved of Hinata's taste in men.

So when Naruto had promised he wouldn't tell anybody, Neji believed him simply because Naruto was no liar. However, he did not anticipate that when Naruto had told him he would not tell anybody about the stalking, he meant anybody _he did not know_. Hence, Neji found himself in one team huddle in the middle of the grocery store with Naruto explaining the objectives of their meeting.

"Oh the joys of youth!" Rock Lee loudly proclaimed as he started sparkling, "I'm so happy you have found your perfect match, Neji! And here I thought you were the type to not get attracted to girls!"

The team, except Neji and Lee, burst into laughter and even Sasuke let out a chuckle. Neji, on the other hand, scowled and angrily thought of ways to torture his teammates in the form of exercises. _300 push-ups ought to do it, _he thought bitterly. It seemed that fate had decided that "Make fun of Neji today" should be turned to "Make fun of Neji for a week." But if there was one thing he was thankful for, it was that at least Kiba, Chouji, and Shino could not come for various family reasons.

"There she is! There she is!" Naruto excitedly declared, pointing a finger towards somebody. Five heads turned to where Naruto had pointed and... Yes, there she was all right. The twin buns for hair were a dead giveaway after all. This time she was at Aisle 10, putting prices on a couple of canned goods. Again, she was too wrapped up with her work to notice five pairs of eyes looking at her. To Neji, her seriousness towards working made her even cuter and _oh look at that, _she smiled when a young girl and her mother had approached her to ask for directions.

The team went back to huddling without Neji this time since he was too busy watching Tenten. And since Neji was too occupied with Tenten, he failed to notice the very suggestive smiles/smirks each member was wearing by the time the short meeting had ended. The team members made their presence known by forcefully pushing their poor captain towards the hard working brunette.

(^.^)(^.^)

Neji was hardly nervous, even when having basketball matches against different teams. That was because he had a talent of making plans in an instant, and if he was unsure (for although he was a genius, he also needed to be reassured) he would always ask Shikamaru for second opinions. But now, as he was near Tenten, his mind was in a jumble and the person he would ask for second opinions was one of those who had pushed him towards Tenten.

Speaking of Tenten, she was already aware of his presence and was looking at him. What should he do? Should he say hello? But what if she doesn't remember him? Wouldn't that make him look like a complete fool? So unsure and emotionally tensed was he that Neji did what his mind thought was the best defensive manoeuvre. He stood rigid, clenched his fists, bit his lower lip, and _oh God, what was his name again_?

Fortunately, Tenten seemed to recognize him for she smiled and said,"Oh hey! It's you again."

"I'm... I'm surprised you remember me..." Neji said, hoping he wouldn't stammer much. While outer Neji still looked defensive and stiff, inner Neji was having the time of his life and decided to celebrate by throwing confetti everywhere.

"Of course I would!" she replied still smiling, "Not a lot of guys would be sweet enough to buy his cousin some napkins." Here, her eyes twinkled in merriment.

Outer Neji gave a "Hn" and a smirk, stuffing his still clenched fists inside his pockets because his palms were beginning to sweat. Meanwhile, inner Neji celebrated some more, this time with fireworks and a tambourine, all the while chanting "she remembers me and she called me sweet!"

And maybe he became deadly quiet because Tenten was starting to give him a worried stare. "You all right?" she asked, cocking her head slightly, "You look a little off."

He was still quiet, and Tenten believed that perhaps he may need her assistance again. "Do you need my help? I don't mind you know. Just tell me what you need."

Still nothing. Tenten was getting a little frightened now. Maybe this man before her suddenly got a heart attack or was actually a serial killer and would soon stab her with a knife or something to that effect.

"Hey, say some-" she was cut off when something blonde and orange managed to get between her and Neji in record time.

"Captain!" the blonde screamed, "what the heck are you doing man?" he demanded, shaking Neji by his shoulders. Now if this happened on a normal day with a saner Neji, Naruto would have been bleeding on the floor in seconds. However, today was not a normal day and Neji had lost control of his consciousness some time ago, therefore Naruto lived to tell the tale.

"I think... I think I should go now..." Tenten muttered, taking a step back to get away from this obviously deranged man and his equally deranged friend.

"NO! STAY HERE!" the blonde ordered, making Tenten stop. Other people were beginning to watch and some employees were starting to call security. Luckily, Uchiha Sasuke decided to intervene.

"Pardon me miss," Sasuke said, calmly walking as if the situation was entirely normal, "But my friend here (he nodded at Naruto) has a bad case of constipation and badly needs some fiber. Can you recommend any food for him? He gets crazy when he can't take a dump." And with that said, Sasuke inserted that half smirk/ half smile that he would often use to distract his fan girls.

"Ah, he could try some oats at Aisle 12," Tenten managed to murmur though she looked a little shaken by now, "but this store also has a pharmacy counter, next to the entrance. You can buy laxatives there." Sasuke nodded in reply and dragged along one steaming Naruto who was yelling that _he had no bad case of constipation damn it! _

"So..." here Tenten turned towards the still-shock-from-war Neji, hoping to get answers. She was not prepared for another attack, this time from a bowl-cut youth with rather huge caterpillars for eyebrows.

"Neji-kun!" declared the over-enthusiastic boy, "I have forgotten to buy that shampoo our Gai-sensei uses to make his hair unbelievably shiny and bouncy!" for emphasis, his hair glowed in the light as well, "Dear youthful flower, please tell us where we can find your shampoos here?" and cue the sparkling teeth with matching thumbs up.

"Ah... Aisle 6..." the poor girl was shocked beyond belief now.

"Excellent! Come Neji-kun, let us make haste!" he dragged the unmoving "Neji-kun" with ease leaving one speechless Tenten, but not before giving her another thumbs up with matching sparkles. Trust Rock Lee to forget their main objective for going to the grocery store in the first place.

A few moments passed before everything quieted down and Tenten supposed that the drama had finally ended. Immediately, she began looking around for hidden cameras, thinking that somebody was pranking her because she was new in town. After minutes of assessing the place, Tenten was about to forget the whole ordeal and resume her work when another boy appeared before her.

"Can we talk for a sec?"

(^.^)(^.^)

"Dude, worst day ever."

They were hanging out at the basketball court near the park now, discussing their obviously failed mission. Neji had recovered thankfully and was trying to forget his most humiliating moment with Tenten by shooting some hoops. Meanwhile, Inner Neji had stopped his celebrations and was planning his revenge of 300 push-ups and sit-ups evilly.

"Shut up teme! You're not the one who will be rumoured to have 'dumping' problems," whined Naruto.

"And they ran out of 'Stallion Mane' shampoo too!" Lee bemoaned, for his hair will never be as shiny and as bouncy as Gai-sensei's. "My youth has been compromised!"

"Hn." Apparently the morons had forgotten who had suffered the most. But not to worry, Neji already had a plan for their punishment anyway. Inner Neji cackled madly and even outer Neji smirked evilly. As such, he did not notice Shikamaru's arrival nor did he notice Shikamaru's guest.

"Oi, I brought someone," declared Shikamaru as he shrugged indifferently.

His back was facing Shikamaru and right now Neji did not care who Shikamaru's guest was, even if lazy ass brought the Prime Minister of Japan because he was really pissed and he wanted revenge.

"Uhm, is this a bad time?" that voice... Neji knew that somewhere. And to confirm his suspicions, he looked back, focused, and immediately panicked. Because Tenten was there looking back at him, and why was she with Shikamaru? Immediately, all the boys stood up and mumbled about having to go somewhere because of this and that, leaving only Tenten and Neji in the basketball court.

"Shika-kun told me you wanted to talk to me..." Tenten started as soon as everyone had left.

"Shika-kun?" asked Neji, raising a brow. Goodness, Shikamaru talked with her for only a few minutes and already they were chummy-chummy with each other? _400 push-ups and sits-ups for Shikamaru_, declared his inner.

"Oh, he's my cousin," the brunette explained lightly. "My family recently moved here in Konoha because my father and Shika-kun's father agreed to create a family business together."

"Ah," Good. Shikamaru was not a rival then.

Awkward silence. Then...

"You needed to talk to me?"

"Yes... I was wondering..." he paused and immediately the panic attack started again, "I was..." coughs "wondering..." looks around and spots a basketball ball on the ground "if... you ever played basketball before?"

Epic. Fail. Ever. Outer Neji visibly cringed at how pathetic that came out while inner Neji was banging his head against an imaginary wall.

"Yes I do!" exclaimed Tenten as she clapped her hands together, "I used to play basketball with my team back in my old school. How did you know?"

A shrug, "Lucky guess," answered the Hyuuga as he smirked.

"That's amazing! I heard from Shika-kun that you're really good. I think I believe him now," she praised, not noticing the slight blush that appeared on the Hyuuga's cheeks. Tenten jogged towards the ball lying on the ground and picked it up. "Up for a game captain?"

"Only if you promise not to cry after this," he teased and then offered his right hand for a shake, "Name's Hyuuga Neji."

"I know, Shika-kun told me," she accepted his outstretched hand to shake and graced him with a cute grin, "I'm Tenten."

"Hn," _I know, I read your nametag which was located at the left side of your breast. Not to mention I've been stalking you for quite some time now. Nice C cups by the way... _not that he would say that out loud of course.

A smile, "Loser treats winner for ice cream?"

A smirk, "Sounds good. I want vanilla, of course. Don't forget."

A playful pout, "Arrogant!"

Oh yes, fate was good to him. Never mind that he was humiliated and stripped of his dignity minutes ago because establishing a friendly relationship with Tenten was all worth it. By this point, he should take things slowly, become her friend and get to know her better first. Of course, he should also scare potential suitors but not let Tenten find out. Maybe he should also ask his cousins for tips, because who else would know a woman's mind than a fellow woman? He smirked as Tenten started dribbling the ball, smiling confidently. Yes, everything was going to be fine, he could feel it. He...

"HEY CAPTAIN! CONGRATS, YOU GOT A GIRLFREND!"

"Heh Hyuuga. You've turned into a huge sap."

"Yosh! The flames of youth are burning inside you Neji-kun! I'm so proud!"

"Troublesome. That's my cousin. Treat her well."

He should punish the idiots who had made fun of him, first of all. Then again, it was also thanks to them that he was able to have any chances with Tenten...

Note to self, _I guess I'll reduce the 300 push-ups and sit-ups to 200._

(^.^)(^.^)

**Author's notes:**

AND! Neji got the last laugh xD

A longer Chapter 2 for all of you because you are all amazing and fabulous! Shikamaru didn't reveal he was related to Tenten, simply because he loves trolling.

**Shikamaru: **-puts on troll face- U mad bro?

And of course... Gah, I can finally click the "Completed" option for this story -sheds manly tears-. Yes, I'm afraid I have to end this story here. It will be up to you readers to determine if Neji did get the girl or not ('m a hopeless romantic, therefore, yes I think he got the girl. And they lived happily ever after.) =)

Big thanks to my reviewers...

**~ Crestfallen -** I'm happy to know that you liked my first chapter! Also, thank you for being my first reviewer ^.^

**~ Al. Riisa **- Thank you! I hope to read some of your stories in the near future. =)

**~ Mysterious Smiles** - Thank you for your compliment regarding my writing.

**~ i. don't. have. an. actual. account **- I'm glad you enjoyed my story. And to have you review made me feel special. Thanks!

**~ Red Chopsticks** - Ah, I tried to make him different this time. It's probably because I always see Neji more of a gentleman than anything else.

**~ Midnight Insomniac** - I love writing an awkward Neji. I really, really do -evil smirks-

**~ DarkAnonymous324 **- Updated faster than the speed of light, just for you!

**~ maddie4president **- Updated! And thank you for reading and reviewing.

And to those who added my story to their faves or alerts... (you guys no who you are, sorry can't put all your names here) thank you so much!


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